This time of year, there are always lots of expectations to make resolutions and plan big changes to your life. However, when your everyday life is already filled with a good deal of uncertainty, planning even more changes is likely the last thing you want to do to kick off the new year.

As military spouses, change is a big part of our lives all the time, not just during January.

Whether it’s a PCS, unexpected deployment, having to find a new job at each duty station, or finding a community in your new city, military life is filled with new (and often unexpected) experiences. 

In the almost eight years my husband and I have been married, we’ve moved four times and lived in four different states. I’ve had to leave jobs, places, and people I loved behind to strike out on a new adventure, while experiencing new worries about what our next duty station would be like.

It certainly isn’t easy to leave behind family and friends, to have to find a new job every couple of years, and to try to become part of a new community so often.

Military life can be lonely, and trying to navigate job changes while working to maintain a career is really difficult.

Positive Changes

While all the changes of military life can be challenging, there are also some positives. Over the years, I’ve become really good at summarizing my skills and experience and explaining to hiring teams what I’m good at, and how I can transfer my skills to many different roles.

I’ve gotten much more adaptable and flexible, having had to deal with PCS plans changing at the last minute and having to shift my expectations to move to a totally new place than what I was expecting.

I’ve met so many wonderful people and made amazing friends that I can count on through everything that military life brings, and I’ve been able to experience living in different parts of the country.

I’ve also gained so much valuable experience by having the opportunity to work in different fields.

The Biggest Change

This year, my husband is transitioning out of the Army, and we’re getting ready to make the adjustment from military to civilian life. With all the changes we’ve experienced so far, this one feels the most significant!

For my husband, his transition involves a lot of paperwork, appointments, and figuring out what he wants to do next. For me, it represents somewhat of a return to “normal.”

When my husband and I got married, I had been living on my own for over a decade, so getting used to military life was pretty challenging for me.

All of a sudden, my life was dictated by his job instead of my own, and it definitely took some time to get used to. Now, as my husband’s time in the military is ending, we have the opportunity to decide where we want to live for the first time since we’ve been together.

We have a chance to put down roots in a community, while still having the military community behind us for guidance and support. I’m grateful for the experiences I’ve had as a military spouse, but I’m looking forward to this new phase of life.

I know all the changes I’ve been through, and everything I’ve learned as a military spouse is going to help me support my husband during his time of career transition. After all, change is always going to be a part of military life, even as the active duty part of that life comes to an end!

*To read more posts by Heather, visit her M:M Experience Blogger Page. For more information on military transition, check out the Soldier for Life Webpage.